Scouting, Volume 62, Number 7, October 1974 Page: 64
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had been called out on more than 20 of
these backwoods operations. One had
included feeding 300 ravenous
searchers, high in the mountains at
the site of an avalanche accident. In
addition to supporting search and res-
cue teams, the post also had prepared
and served food at many planning
conferences, training sessions, winter
games and so forth. So that mid-
February nighttime search in Interla-
ken Park was a simple assignment for
the members of 902. Incidentally, it
ended happily when the lost child was
found.
Even before the post was chartered,
it had four years of service as a com-
missary unit within ESAR — the Ex-
plorer Search and Rescue unit — in
the Chief Seattle Council, Seattle.
"We were a senior Girl Scout troop
before becoming a part of ESAR," Pat
Nelson, the vivacious post Advisor,
told Scouting magazine. "We had
been active in organizing councilwide
projects such as pruning Christmas
trees and clearing brush in Snoqual-
mie National Forest. One of the Forest
Service men toJd me that ESAR might
welcome some hot food to eat in the
field, and that maybe we could be of
help. I talked with a friend who had
been one of ESAR's founders. He
agreed. The Girl Scout council gave
us its blessing. And that's how we be-
gan to cook for ESAR."
It wasn't easy at first. Pat and her
girls were entering what had been ex-
clusively a man's world. Some people
actively opposed the idea of girls in
ESAR; others took a wait-and-see atti-
tude. In either case, the new commis-
sary unit had to demonstrate that it
could do the job, while overcoming
whatever prejudice existed.
"We had our work cut out, all right,"
Pat said. Brushing her short hair from
her eyes she continued, "We had to
show that we could cook and serve
food under the most adverse physical
conditions, and that we could take
those conditions. Search and rescue
isn't child's play; it's very rugged. The
big question in people's minds was,
'Can girls stand up to it?' Well, we
proved that we can. In fact, 18 of our
girls are qualified 'Brush Monkeys.'
That means they've taken and passed
the ESAR Search and Rescue team
training courses. Those courses are
very tough."
Pat Nelson and her kids proved their
worth not only to ESAR. They also
caught the eye of people in KSARA,
which is the parent organization of all
search and rescue operations in King
County. It is an association of volun-
teers that supports the sheriff's depart-
ment of emergency services. Shortly
after Pat and her kids became part of
ESAR, officials of KSARA noticed how
well the Explorers were eating. They
asked Pat if she and her group would
be the commissary unit for the entire
KSARA organization.
And that is where matters stand to-
day. Post 902 is the official food prepa-
ration unit for King County's search
and rescue group. It works directly
with the office of emergency services
as its disaster cooking unit. Often it
goes on state-level searches in neigh-
boring counties, and once on a two-
state search. Recently, the post went
on "Operation Ready," a huge KSARA
training exercise where the commis-
sary unit was hauled in by snowmobile
and helicopter. Finally, 902 still is a
part of ESAR and the council's Explor-
ing program, and has recognition as a
chartered Explorer post in its own
right.
Larry Minkier, Exploring director for
the council, helped form the post. "Pat
and her kids wanted to organize," he
said. "They wanted their own identity,
so the obvious move was for them to
get a charter. We helped them put it
together. Now 902 is in business as a
bona fide Explorer post, helping to
save lives."
"It all came to pass because of our
volunteers," Pat said. "I know of other
attempts to form commissary units that
have failed because of lack of adult
support. We have the world's best.
They bring tremendous interest and
experience — from cafeteria manag-
ing to quantity cooking in a Girl Scout
camp. We have a physical education
teacher who spends her summer as a
camp director. We also have her as-
sistant. My background is in training.
I've had years of it, on both a volunteer
and professional basis.
"My husband, Russ, is the post's
committee chairman. He's an engineer
and his disciplined kind of thinking
has been important as a sounding
board. Russ was able to foresee the
pitfalls we might run into as we were
developing, and, for me, he had a
broad shoulder to lean on when we fell
into some of those pits."
Pat sat silently for a moment. Then,
"You know, in my 30 and more years of
Scouting, I've seen that most truly
dedicated volunteers have strong
spouses who stand behind them. I
think that all too often these behind-
the-scenes 'volunteers' don't get the
recognition and public appreciation
they deserve."
Don Marshall represents 902's spon-
sor, a group of neighborhood citizens.
He and Dick Miller are the two origi-
nal, adult, male members. They are
also largely responsible for the post's
trailer.
From the outset, it was obvious that
the commissary unit which later was to
become Post 902 needed something in
which to carry food, supplies and
equipment.
"We had to pack everything we
needed," Pat Nelson recalled. "My old
station wagon has more than 100,000
miles on it, most of them on ESAR bus-
iness. We really needed a truck or
trailer or something. But there was no
money. Each time we cooked, we'd
play with ideas. How should the thing
be designed? What should it look
like? What should it be able to do?
Then, one day, unknown to me, some-
body outside of ESAR anonymously
offered some money. The brother of
one of our committee members is an
architect and he drew up the plans.
Don Marshall and Dick Miller, both of
whom are mechanics, saw to the con-
struction. Somebody took a picture of
me when I first saw that trailer. My
hands were clasped together and
there was a big, silly grin on my face.
Oh, that trailer was beautiful!"
The trailer is a traveling kitchen. It
serves as a walk-up lunch counter, as
on the search in Interlaken Park, and it
is used to prepare full meals for hun-
dreds of people. It has two propane
stoves, about six running feet of work
counter and bins for storing enough
food to feed 150 people for 24 hours. It
is designed to be towed by a car and
also by vehicles like trucks from
KSARA's rescue council. The trailer's
cover becomes a roof supported by
four stanchions. A bright blue tarp can
be rigged as either a sun shade or rain
fly. It is highly visible and means good
news — food — to the search teams.
Important as the trailer is, it does not
make Post 902 into a viable service or-
ganization. That takes people.
"Here, we're very lucky," Pat Nelson
said. "First, we have those wonderful
adults who supply continuity to our
group. Through our association with
KSARA, we are a unique Explorer post
because we are partially supported by
tax money and get some of our food
from public sources. Understandably,
the county relies on our adults to be
responsible for those public resources.
64
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 62, Number 7, October 1974, periodical, October 1974; New Brunswick, NJ. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353587/m1/64/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.